Corporations and other entities typically use computer systems that include a variety of networks, computing platforms, and applications. Example computer systems provide information services to customers or support other computer-related functions. As a particular example, a corporation may support different applications running on different computing platforms to provide services to customers over the Internet. These networks, computing platforms, and applications often operate using different protocols and in different operational environments.
It is typically difficult to integrate the various applications within a computer system. For example, it is often difficult to integrate the applications used by different departments or other subdivisions of a corporation. Typical integration techniques often focus on software developers generating programs to integrate the applications. These integration programs are typically complex and need to be updated over time. Moreover, it is typically difficult to modify the integration programs when circumstances change, such as when an organization adds additional applications to its computer system.